Thursday, May 20, 2010

Hard Case Crime Update from Charles Ardai

Friends,

Back in 2008, we published one of our most popular books (and our first by a female author), Christa Faust's MONEY SHOT. The book was called "an instant pulp classic" by Rolling Stone magazine, was a finalist for the Edgar Award, and is currently in development as a movie. Ever since it came out, people have been asking us if there was a chance they'd someday get to read more about Angel Dare, the former adult film star turned vigilante killer.

I'm happy to report that the answer is yes. There'll be a bit of a wait -- 9 months, give or take, and why shouldn't gestation take about that long? -- but when next February comes to a close you'll see a book called CHOKE HOLD arriving in bookstores. You can already get an early peek at the book's gorgeous cover at our Web site: www.HardCaseCrime.com. We haven't posted a sample chapter yet (Christa's still putting the finishing touches on the final draft), but the cover's worth a look all by itself...

Want a great read sooner than 9 months from now? I urge you to visit your favorite local bookseller (or online retailer) and pick up a copy of our latest title, NOBODY'S ANGEL by Jack Clark. It's an extraordinary novel -- written by a Chicago cab driver, about a Chicago cab driver -- and I don't think I've ever read a more passionate, heartbreaking, moving depiction of the Windy City in my life. This is a dark book, a sad book, a noir book through and through...and you'll be kicking yourself if you don't give it a read. The Chicago Sun-Times will shortly be running a profile about the book and the author; Booklist magazine has already given it a starred review, writing "The cynical, melancholy cabbie point of view is perfect for this kind of neon-lit, noir-tinged, saxophone-scored prose poem, and Clark hits all the right notes." Originally, when Jack wrote the book, instead of publishing it the conventional way, he printed up 500 copies himself and sold them to his passengers by hand; the only way you could get a copy of the book was if you were lucky enough to catch a ride in the author's cab. We are incredibly proud to be able to give the book the professional publication it has deserved all along, and I very much hope you'll try it.

And remember, if none of the booksellers you visit have copies left, you can always order one directly by calling 1-800-481-9191.

One other bit of news, and it's a big one: Our best-selling title of all time, Stephen King's THE COLORADO KID, is about to become a TV series! The show is called "Haven," and it debuts on July 9 on SyFy (the network formerly known as The Sci-Fi Channel). In New York, it airs at 10PM; not sure what time it's on in other parts of the country, but check your listings. It'll also be shown outside the U.S., so wherever you are, there's a good chance you'll be able to watch it. The series expands on the story of the book, introducing a new main character (an FBI agent with a mysterious past), but you'll see as the series unfolds that the central mysteries of the book are very much at the heart of the TV show as well. There's a brief video up on SyFy's Web site if you want to get a taste of the show: you can find it by going to http://www.syfy.com/haven/ and clicking on the video link on the right side of the screen that's labeled "Haven - Everyone's Hiding Something." I'm fortunate to be working on the show as a writer and producer and am very excited about how it's coming out. There are some terrific stories hidden in the town of Haven, Maine, and week by week we'll do our best to bring them to you.

We've got more big developments in the works that I'm itching to tell you about...but those are still in the works, so we'll save them for a future update. In the meantime, please do grab a copy of NOBODY'S ANGEL -- and when July 9 rolls around, please tune in to SyFy and join me in watching Hard Case Crime's television debut!